The Washington critic., 1887-10-18
WASHINGTON, OCTOBER Is, 1887.

THE first of the National Political
Conventions of the coming year Is
already called, and is to be held In
Washington on the 9sth of February
next. This Is the convention of the
Industrial Reform party that was
organized at Springfield, ILL.,, the other
day under the auspices of Mrs. Belva
A. Lockwood, and It viii be composed
of sixty'five delegates. The platform
Is of considerable length and covers a
great diversity of important questions.
Judge Lockwood is evidently spreading
herself on politics tbls year, but how
many of the eggs of reform that she Is
nurturing will bv hatohel out remains.
of course, to be determined. There
are some plaaks in the platform that
will commend themselves to the good
judgment and appreciation Of the
country at once. It declares that no
foreign potoutate or power shall inter.
fere with our politics or insiiu.
tlons; that postal savings banks
shall be established; that the
Government shall control the
telegraph system; tha, ownership
of land shall be limited to homestead
and productive uses, and that all pub
lie servants shall be elected by direct
vote Of the people. 1t also favors the
redemption Of the public debt by the
issue Of legaltender notes, the aboli.
lion of the liquor traffic, the endow.
nf trTnn nrt.f4 tNa oil TO.
chlse, and the taxation of unoccupied
and uncultivated land to the amount
of twenty per cent. of Its assessed
value. 1t also declares that the nation
should provide home for each worthy
homeless family and that said home
should be inalienable until the purchase
price has been returned to the nation In
100 equal quarterly payments and that
without usury. These and many other
things, wise and unwise, practicable
and impracticable. But there is great
deal of wheat among the chaff, and we
wish the architect of the new party all
possible success In sitting 1t out
SAN Francisco will put In strong
claim for the National Democratic Con-
yention of 1888. The claim Is based,
OF course, upon purely local consid-
erations. To hold the convention
there, 1t Is urged, will be of advantage
TO three close and doubtful States, Cali.
fornla, Oregon and Nevada. Every
claimant for the honor puts in some
such plea, and, although II amounts to
little or nothing, intrinsically, it carries
weight with the crowd. The proper
place for the convention is on strictly
neutral ground, If 1t is held at the
seat of Government, the claims of no
one section Of the country will be over
looked at the expense of another, but
all be equitably considered, and the
jcalousies growing out of heated
controversy between half dozen grea,
cities, each with its local axe to grind,
be satisfactorily harmonized.
IT MAY be set down for fact thai
Mr.. George W. Childs, who presented
to the town of S,ratford.upon. Avor
the Shakespeare memorial fountain
which was inaugurated with such be
fitting ceremonies yesterday, Is no be
lever in the theory that Bacon was tn,
writer of Shakspeare's dramas. Other
wise he would have made the fountail
Bacon memorial. Neither is Ministe
Phelps, who responded to the toas
1.-THE President" on the occasion, a
Ignatius Donnelly man, nor Jane
Russell Lowell, who sent letter to tn
Mayor, nor Henry Irving, whose glow
Ing tribute to the "Bard OF Avon" wa
the feature Of the ceremonies. 1t
better to believe In Shakespeare than t
disbelleve in him. We may never b
content, as Irving says, with the littl
that we know of Shakspeare's personi
history, but we know too much G
Bacon,